Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34(NIV)
A thankful heart. That’s what I wanted to convey.
I had gathered items for our church’s Thanksgiving service…all things that spoke to the gifts of harvest and of provision given by the Lord.
As I decorated the altar table a feeling of gratitude flooded my soul.
The straw cornucopia awaited my offerings. I placed a small pie—pumpkin—near the front of the opening and remembered all the delicious pumpkin pies made by my husband’s mother. I was thankful for her willingness to take us into her home as we awaited our first church position.
Next, I added two bunches of grapes, and the memories of all the blessed communion services I’d attended surrounded by beloved church family replayed in my mind.
As I arranged the multicolored ears of corn, I thought of the gardens we’d grown and the corn I’d frozen to sustain my family through cold mountain winters.
Then I placed red and yellow onions in the arrangement. They reminded me of the tears, both happy and sad, we had shared as a family…the birth of our children…the tears as we celebrated our daughter’s home going to heaven.
Walnuts and pecans were scattered among the fruits and vegetables to remind us that though the outer shells of the unsaved might seem impossible to crack, the Lord’s words can penetrate the hardest heart.
I filled in the cornucopia with wheat stalks I’d persevered and used for years as table
decoration. As I placed each piece, I thought of all the friends who’d filled our lives with joy.
The antique oil lamp was placed next to the cornucopia. Its wick was trimmed and new oil filled its graceful bowl. I contemplated the times I’d basked in its soft glow when storms caused power outages and gave thanks for this form of provision. I rejoiced in the knowledge that Jesus is the true light.
Last, I placed an open Bible with my Grandmother’s wire-rimmed glasses on top to commemorate my thankfulness of being reared in a Christian home.
This year, as you place your cornucopias as centerpieces, take a few moments and give thanks to the Father of all good gifts.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving and treasure your family as they gather close by.
